Another Day in the Antz Farm

Last month in a period of three weeks, I visited five China cities. This trip could be sum up in three phrases: physical exhilarating, cultural enriching and  geo-political awareness enlightening.The visit included UNESCO World Heritage sites such as Huangshan (often referred by Chinese as “The number one mountain under the Heavens”), the ancient Chinese Village of Hongcun, the classical gardens of Suzhou,  the burial ground of the founder and first Emperor of the Ming Dynasty – Ming Xiaoling Mausoleum and Hangzhou’s West Lake (featured on the RMB 1 dollar note).

Despite making this trip by myself, I never felt alone. I had the good fortune of travelling and interacting with many kind, helpful and interesting people (backpacking tourists and local residents) in every city along my journey. There is always a friend company in a hostel or along the streets. Such are the joys of backpacking

My travel began from Anhui Province (Tunxi, Huangshan, Yixian, Shexian) to Zhejiang Province (Hangzhou) to Jiangsu Province (Suzhou and Nanjing) and finally China’s largest city – Shanghai. These authentic sights and the opportunities to interact with the local residents are captured in the following highlights.

	A. Shanghai – Huangshan Overnight Sleeper Train My journey began when I caught an soft-sleeper overnight train from Shanghai to Huangshan (K8418, cabin interior). During the 15 hours journey, I chatted and shared my travel plans with many other travellers from different countries including Japan, USA, Sri Lanka and of course China. Soon I got acquainted with a young Chinese couple and we decided to hike Huangshan together. Pictures of K8418 Shanghai to Huangshan overnight sleeper train ride
	B. Tunxi Old Street After a long train ride, I decided to stay overnight in Tunxi town (where the Huangshan railway station) was located. I stayed in Old Street Youth Hostel, where the area’s old architectures were preserved and now transformed into tourism-oriented enclave. Pictures from the Tunxi downtown,youth hostel and the Old Street.
	C. Huangshan Huangshan in Anhui’s province is one of China’s most scenic spots. The mountain range is characterised by numerous gravity defying odd-shaped pine trees, steep trails, deep gorges with lush greenery and grotesque rock formations representing the arch-typical Chinese landscape (shanshui) paintings. With my new founded Chinese friends, we began our 2 days hike from the Western Steps (also known as the back entrance) and exit from the Eastern Steps as recommended by the hostel. The Western Steps landscape is filled with numerous strange and interesting rock formations such as Monkey Gazing at the Sea, Fairy Lady Flower and the Mobile Phone rock. The Eastern Steps is more steep and gives you the opportunity to appreciate the majestic mountainous range. Many other celebrated sights include Yingke Song (Welcome Guest Pine) and the Tiandu Feng (Apex of the Celestial Capital Peak). Pictures of my hike around Huangshan.
	D. Hongchun and Tangyue Memorial Archway Apart from the Huangshan, there are another two popular tourist attractions which can be easily managed by oneself without booking those overpriced guided tours. They are Hongcun village and the Tangyue Memorial Archways. Just travel like the locals and use the long distance public buses from Huangshan long distance bus terminal to get to Yixan and Shexian counties respectively. D1. Hongcun Village Fans of Ang Lee’s Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon movie must make a trip to Hongcun. Part of the movie was filmed in this village. Hongcun and (nearby) Xidi are two ancient Chinese villages listed in UNSECO World Heritage. Hongcun with its water features and distinct Anhui architecture has becomes a popular subject amongst many Chinese art students. In 2004, this cherished village was commemorated as part of a China Post “Ancient Villages in Southern Anhui” stamp series. Pictures of Hongcun village. D2. Tangyue Memorial Archway The Tangyue Memorial Archway is a series of seven arches built between the Ming and Qing dynasties. These arches commemorated the virtues of loyalty, filial piety, women’s chastity, justice, moral integrity and charity by the village inhabitants and served as a reminder for future generation. Pictures of Tangyue Memorial Archway
	E. Hangzhou – West Lake, Lingyin Temple, Longjing Village Around the prosperous city of Hangzhou lies one of China’s most popular attraction, the famed West Lake or Xihu. The beauty and the wealth of this city led to a claim that Hangzhou“beyond dispute (is) the finest and the noblest in the world” attributed to Marco Polo. When I was finally able to pull myself from West Lake sights, I visited Lingyin Temple (Temple of the Soul’s Retreat), one of China’s largest monastery and Longjing Village. Longjing Village is the famed green tea growing area that grows the popular Longjing tea (龙井茶). During my visit, I was invited to a farmer’s actual house and had the opportunity to sample the different grades of Longjing tea. Pictures of the West Lake , Lingyin Temple, Leifeng Pagoda and Longjing tea.
	F. Suzhou 上有天堂, 下有苏杭 Above is heaven, below is Suhang (Suzhou and Hangzhou) This famous saying praises the beauties of Suzhou and Hangzhou. Suzhou often referred as the “Venice of the East” for its gardens, stone bridges and canals across the city. The beauty of Suzhou’s classical gardens was recognised as a UNESCO World Heritage under the “Classical Gardens of Suzhou”. These gardens include Master of the Net Garden. The Master of the Net garden is the smallest of the classical gardens but because of its size, it was easy to appreciate the beauty of the garden. Pictures of Master of the Net garden and downtown Suzhou.
	G. Tongli About 27km from Suzhou, lies the small water village of Tongli. Within Tongli are picturesque waterways and bridges, famed garden (Tuisi Garden -Retreat and Reflection) and also China Sex Museum. Pictures of Tongli Village
	H. Nanjing Nanjing is capital of Jiangsu Province which include Suzhou. Nanjing (the Southen Capital), together with Beijing (the Northen Capital), Luoyang and Chang’an (now Xi’an) formed the “Four Historical capitals of China” (中国四大古都). Nanjing is also home to one of the largest concentration of tertiary institutions in China. This city is also the final resting places of major statesmen in Chinese history including Sun Yat-sen (founder of the post-imperial China) and Emperor Hongwu (Zhu Yuanzhang, founder and first emperor of the Ming Dynasty). Travelling to Nanjing from Shanghai is easy and comfortable via a 3 hours train ride on China Railway Highspeed (CRH) trains Pictures of Ming Xiaoling Mausoleum and modern downtown Nanjing.
	I. Shanghai Shanghai, China’s largest city and the symbol of China’s growing economic stature on the world’s stage. Ever since the days of the Western nations trade concessions settlements, Shanghai has been one of Asia’s financial and trading hub. The modern Shanghai is now a buzzing, vibrant and energetic metropolis. The energy of this city is simply tremendous.There is something for everyone in this city. For arts fans, the Shanghai Museum is a treat. This museum housed an mind boggling first class collection of Chinese arts including pottery, ancient currency and sculptures. To appreciate the origins and the development of this city, the Shanghai Urban Planning Exhibition Centre is a must, even just to see the mini model of the city sprawl. Fans of la mien and xiao long baos, you can finally have one’s fill in Shanghai. While you’re there, get introduced to shenjian too, a dish similar to xiao long. The Shanghainese cuisine is more noodles and bread based. Let’s just say, I had my fill of xiao long and dumplings for a very long time. For the defenders of the world’s economy (aka shopaholic), after your saving rounds in Ginza or Fifth Avenue, you will have your hands full in Huaihai Lu and Nanjing Lu. Pictures of downtown Shanghai (including the Bund, Jinmao Tower and the Bund). Pictures of artistic shots of the city (Art in the City- Shanghai). Pictures of Shanghai Museum (a selection from the pottery, ancient currency and sculptures). Pictures of St Ignatius Cathedral (Xiujiahui).

You can view my additional China holiday pictures trip from my 2009-Anhui-Zhejiang-Jiangsu-Shanghai-Trip collection.

Last Friday (Good Friday), in preparation for the upcoming Sundown Marathon, more than 50 runners from Team Fatbird and other Singapore running community groups took part in the 2009 Dusty Run organised by Keonz.

The Dusty Run began at 9.20pm and the route starts from East Coast Park (ECP) to the eastern suburbs via Tanah Merah, Expo, Simei, Bedok Reservoir, Kembagan, Opera Estate and back onto the ECP.

Along the way, Max and Jane provided a much-appreciated dose of encouragement and fun as the run photographer along route. In the end, I learnt that my group ran 33km instead of the originally planned 30km because we bypassed an earlier turning point. I thought I knew the Singapore eastern suburbs inside out but this “jogging tour” took my understanding to a new level. Looking back at the run, I really treasured the opportunity to meet other running enthusiasts from all walks of life sharing one common passion – running.

Check out this link to other pictures taken during the run.

- Taken on 040409 by Berno

The Marina Barrage located at the mouth of the Marina Channel is Singapore’s largest water catchment area. It offers a postcard-perfect vista of the Singapore Flyer and the city’s skyline.

Here is a link to my Singapore Marina Barrage collection of photos. You can also check out the Marina Barrage’s home page for more information about the structure and how to get there.

A picture of the Fullerton Hotel, Singapore taken on 31 Mar 2009. This picture was taken from the Asian Civilisation Museum.

Took a picture of the Singapore city skyline while I was jogging along the Esplanade this evening (310309).

Please contact me (bernardoh3rd/at/gmail) or via the comment section if you require a higher resolution or other usage of this image.

This page (mainly for my personal record keeping) will be regularly updated as I sign up (confirmed) for more events.

1. 22 Feb 09- Singapore Tribob Sprint Aquathlon (750m swim, 5km run)
2. 7 Mar 09- Singapore Biathlon (1500m swim, 10k run) Absent
3. 24 May 09 – PAssion Run 2009 (15k run)
4. 30 May 09- Adidas Sundown Marathon (42k run): Timing (), Photos(Here), Report()
5. 28 Jun 09- Kuala Lumpur Marathon (tentative)
6. 1 Australian race (tentative): Geelong Half Marathon (19 Apr)/  Sydney Morning Herald Half Marathon (17 May)/ Gold Coast Marathon (5 July)/ Sydney Running Festival (20 Sep)/ Melbourne Marathon (11 Oct)
7. Singapore Army Half Marathon – tentative
8. Borneo Marathon 2009 (11 Oct) -tentative
9. OSIM Singapore Triathlon – tentative
10. Angkor Wat International Half Marathon 2009 (6 Dec) – tentative

Sydney is expensive, the overall public system is failing and they don’t do very good lattes over there … despite all her shortcomings.

Here are my personal Top 10 (unranked) Sydney related photos from my Flickr collection. Just click on the pictures to see them in their original resolutions.

– Each time I looked at this picture, I feel very calm and at ease.

– This was taken when I lived in North Sydney.

– A view of the city from Milson Point

– Along the Sydney Harbour Bridge towards the City.

– I love the occasional rides to Bondi Manly beach on board the Sydney Ferry.

– This is Sydney.

– An evening shot of the Sydney Harbour Bridge (The Coathanger) from Kirribilli

- George Street

– What is Sydney without its famous Mardi Gras parade?

- The essential weekend late night kebab along Kings Cross

** Bonus
– The real estate shop Christmas receptionist.

Running revealed to me the different facets of life. Everyone dreams of a fairy-tale ending, but life doesn’t always go according to that script. Completing a race isn’t the end of a story, but I realised, it could also mark the opportunity to write a new chapter differently.

I shall live to “run” another day.

I finally completed my first full marathon (Singapore Marathon) on 7 Dec 2008, making a fitting end to my 2008 running calendar, a tick across my personal to-do list.  A marathon is demanding challenge but during this race, I picked up a painful injury (Iliotibial band syndrome, IBTS) at the 25k mark and I limped to complete the remainder.

My target timing was 5.30-5.45h and I came in a 6.15h. Naturally, I was very upset with the result. I was caught between beating myself (mentally) for the poor performance and overlook the positive experience and the camaraderie among my circle of runners friends.

Then, I stopped the “beating” for a moment and asked myself, “Why are you not happy for this personal achievement?” or could it be because you had set your heart on the matters (Pride? Lack of self assurance? Who/ what are you running for?) which are not necessary centred on the  right values. A thought (or a voice) came up, “You run your own race. This is only your first, you can always improve on the next attempt. Right now, smile and share the positive moment with those around you and learn to let go.”

I felt a heavy (self-imposed) burden lifted up when I listened and accepted the prompting of that voice. In life, there are many matters that could easily let us down but should we let it get to us? Maybe we should ask, why are we sad? Even if the reason was valid, do we surrender to misery or try around, smile and move on?  It is always easier to move on with hope.

In closing, I’m grateful to God for granting me the ability to complete the event and people from my running circle who encouraged and trained with me along the way. Magníficat ánima mea Dóminum.

Here is a link to my marathon pictures.

This is the view of the Singapore financial district from the very top of South-east Asia’s tallest hotel – Swissotel the Stamford.

This morning, I took apart in my first “Swissotel Vertical Marathon“. Having trained (in)consistently in the gym’s Stairmaster on 4 grand occasions, I felt I was all set to attempt my tallest challenge – a 73-storey climb.

The overall turnout was huge. I was proud to see the encouraging numbers of female participants. The event emcee also mentioned that there were about 150 nationalities registered for this event.

I maintained an easy pace during the climb and the result was 13mins 53secs. I reckon next year I want to achieve 13min 15secs timing.

Here is a selection of the pictures taken during the 2008 Swissotel Vertical Marathon in Singapore.

Related link: 1,500 take part in Swissotel Vertical Marathon (Channel NewsAsia)